Social groups

 

Social groups 

Introduction

Welcome to lesson one which deals with definitions of social groups.

 

Objectives of the Lesson

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1.  Explain what a social group is.

2.  Analyse the different kinds of social groups.

 

Introductory activity

What do you understand by social groups? What social groups can you identify present in your school? What social groups do you belong to? 

 

Explanation on the introductory question

You should have by now come up across several definitions of social groups. In this lesson you will learn about the meaning of social groups and the importance that they hold for their members. 

    Social groups

 

What is a social group?

It is not just a category of people who simply have one thing in common, for example, new students travelling to college.  It is not an advantage of people who happen to be at one place at a certain time because some reason, for example, new students in school, there is very little interaction among them and little or no communication.

 

What then is a social group?  A social group is a collection of people who interact constantly, who share norms and values and have a shared sense of identity.  They also have a long lasting relationship.  They are free with each other.  Examples of common social groups include, best friends, roommates, workmates, students in one class/one dormitory/one team. Given the above it should be clear that a social group does not simply refer to a category of people who simply have one thing in common such as prospective students attending an interview. It does not refer to new pupils in a school who are at one place at a certain time because of some reason.  

Types of groups

 

1.  Primary Groups

A primary group is also called a Gemeinshift which is a German term referring to a village society which has common values and homes, common ancestors, geographical and social mobility. This is a group with continuous or long term face to face relationships. There is strong identity with the group and strong ties of affection. It is a long lasting group where friendship lasts in all situations such as good dormitory mates in a boarding school.

 

Macionis (1987) has argued that the primary group is a social group in which interaction is both personal and long lasting. Within primary groups, people have personal and lasting ties.  Cooley designated these as primary relationships. The members of primary groups share broad dimensions of their lives, generally come to know a great deal about one another, and display genuine concern for one another’s welfare. The family is perhaps the most important primary group within any society.

 

According to Macionis, the sociologist Charles Horton Cooley used the term primary because social groups are among the first groups individuals experience in life and are therefore important in shaping peoples’ personal attitudes and behavior. They are also of major importance in shaping our social identity, which is reflected in the fact that the members of any primary group typically think of themselves as ‘we’.

 

The strength of primary relationships gives individuals a considerable sense of comfort and security, which is clearly evident in personal performances. When surrounded by a company of family or friends, people feel confident in themselves without undulying worrying about others unfairly scrutinising them. 

 

At the place of work people tend to be overly conscious about their appearance and general disposition. On the other hand at home surrounded by family, they tend to have a care-free disposition about themselves. Members of primary groups certainly provide many personal benefits to one another, including financial as well as emotional support. But people generally perceive the primary group as an end in itself rather than as a means to other ends. Thus, for example, we expect a family member or close friend to help us without pay when we move into a new apartment. At the same time, primary group members usually do expect that such help will be mutual. A person who consistently helps a friend who never returns the favor is likely to feel used and question the depth of the friendship.

 

Because primary relationships are valued in themselves rather than as a means toward some personal end, members of primary groups are not viewed as interchangeable with others in society. We usually do not care who cashes out check or approves a loan for us at the bank. But in primary groups- especially the family- the emphasis on personal emotions and loyalty means that, for better or worse, we feel bound to particular others. Although brothers and sisters may experience periodic conflict, they always remain brothers and sisters. We have already suggested that individuals in primary groups are likely to be sensitive to patterns of social exchange- how benefits received by one member compare to those received by another – although such considerations are not of crucial importance. 

 

2.  Secondary Groups

 

Another type of social group is the secondary group: In this type of a social group interaction is impersonal and transitory. A secondary group usually contains more people than a primary group and members share situational ties that are called secondary relationships. Also known by the German term of Gesselschaft, a secondary group has diverse ancestry, loosely linked network of friends, geographical and social mobility and temporal relationships. They are marked by limited face to face interaction and a weak identity with the group. There are weak ties of affection and the relationship is transient or temporary. Examples of secondary groups include workmates who share an office, coursemates at college or university or members of a political party. 

 

In other words, the secondary group is the opposite of the primary group in terms of its characteristics. Secondary relationships involve little personal knowledge and weak emotional ties. They vary in duration, but are usually short- term, beginning and ending without much attachment involvement. True, people may work in an office for decades with the same co-workers, but a more typical example of secondary relationships is students in a college course who never see one another after the semester ends. Since secondary groups are limited to a single specific activity or interest, their members have little chance to develop a deep concern for one another’s overall welfare. Secondary groups are less significant than primary groups for personal identity. Although people in a secondary group sometimes think of themselves in terms of ‘we,’ the boundary that distinguishes members from non-members is usually far less clear than it is in primary groups.

 

Secondary groups are goal oriented. While primary groups have a personal orientation, secondary groups have a goal orientation. This however, does not mean that secondary relationships are always formal and unemotional. But personal pleasure is not the basis for the formation of secondary groups. In short, while members of a primary group are important by virtue of being members, members of secondary groups derive their significance from what they are able to do at their respective places of operation. Within secondary groups, however, exchange is very important. In business transactions, for example, the people involved are keenly aware of what they receive for what they offer. Likewise, the secondary relationships that often characterize neighbors are based on the expectation that any neighborly favor will be reciprocated in the future.

 

 

3.  Reference groups

This is a group by which we judge ourselves.  They model and usually have high seat than us.

People typically evaluate themselves in relation to others, and social groups are often an important part of this process. Macionis (1987: 138) defines a reference group as ‘a social group that serves as a point of reference for individuals in evaluating some characteristic of themselves.’  Most often, people use social groups to which they belong in this way. A young man who imagines how his family will respond to a woman he is dating is using his family as a reference group. Similarly, a banker who attempts to assess what her colleagues are likely to think about a loan policy she has developed is using her co-workers as a reference group. As these examples suggest, reference groups can be either primary or secondary. Because people are often strongly motivated to conform to a group, the effect of social groups on personal evaluations can be very significant.

 

Social groups can also be used as points of reference by nonmembers. For example, someone going on a job interview is likely to anticipate how people in the organization dress and act, and to adjust personal performance accordingly, people are likely to use social groups they wish to join as reference groups; by conforming to group social patterns, they hope to win acceptance more readily.

 

Practical activity

From your experience both as a pupil and as a teacher, which of the three social groups discussed in this lesson do you think have the greatest impact on the life of a pupil. How and why?   

 

Summary of Lesson

The key factor about social groups is that they act as significant others. As a result they cannot be ignored by anyone. If anything everyone belongs to one social group or the other.